Destiny Red
by JtheBard
Summary: A one shot set in the universe of "Heal my Heart" from the viewpoint of Nick. It fills in some gaps from that story. Once again, you do not have to read the first story, but it does help.


**Disclaimer**: I have never, nor will I ever own any part of Power Rangers, the characters are not mine. This is just for pure fun.

**Summary:** A one shot set in the universe of "Heal my Heart" from the viewpoint of Nick. It fills in some gaps from that story. Once again, you do not have to read the first story, but it does help.

A/N: After writing "Miss Oliva", the idea came to me to write this one from Nick's point of view. It is a one shot, but it will fill in some gaps from "Heal my Heart". Of course, it goes without saying that this is slightly AU. Enjoy!

A/N 2: Fair warning, some parts of the story are a little strong, dealing with abuse, so be warned!

**Destiny Red**

"_You dirty whore"!_

"_Oh yeah? Big words from the man who has slept with every female under twenty years old within a twenty mile radius"! _

_SLAP_

Three year old Nick Russell cringed into a tight ball in a corner of his bedroom. The sounds he was hearing were normal to him. At least he was used to them, but they still scared him. It seemed as though it was all he heard from his parents. During the say it was not so bad, well not this bad at least. They were usually asleep or out of the house then. Even though he was only three years old, he had learned really fast how to take care of himself. His parents were certainly not doing the job.

There was the sound of another slap. Nick could not tell if it was his father hitting his mother or the other way around, it could be either. After which the sound of heavy footsteps stomping across the house and the front door slamming shut. That meant that his father had left and the fighting was over, at least for now. There were sounds of his mother moving around, so Nick thought that he would chance a peek out of his bedroom door to make sure that she was alright. She had never really shown any indication that she loved or even cared for him at all, but she treated him better than his father did, so that counted for something.

He slowly crept on his hands and knees to his slightly open door and peeked out. From this point of view, he could see the living room of the small house where he lived with his parents. At first he saw nothing, but before too much longer, his mother, skinny and with long unkempt hair came into view. She looked around for something and after a few moments, found what she was looking for. It looked like the needles that Nick's doctor stuck him with the one time he went to the doctor. Why did his mother have one of those? Was she sick? She tightened something around her left arm before jamming the needle into her arm. Soon after she slumped to the floor in such a way that Nick knew he was on his own again. With tears starting to flow again, he crawled back to his bed and curled up again. He would try to sleep, knowing that he had another long day ahead of him tomorrow.

Two weeks later, and it was the same story. His parents had been screaming and throwing things at each other for the past hour or so. So it was going to be a long one this time. He was so sick of this! He just wished it would end soon. Gathering up what little courage that he had, he left the safety of his bedroom and headed to where his parents were fighting in the living room. Maybe seeing their son upset would make them stop fighting, at least for tonight, but he doubted it. He was about ten steps from the room when he saw a sight that made him freeze in mid step. His mother was slumped against the far wall, blood trickling down the right side of her mouth. She was awake but looking about as scared as Nick felt.

His father was standing over her and pointing something that looked like one of Nick's own toy guns at his mother. He turned slightly and saw his son looking at him as if he were a monster.

"Well if it isn't my little baby son. Did you come to see your mother finally learn her lesson?" Come on boy, it's time for you to be a man".

His mother turned her head slightly to face her son, she could not gather the energy to do more. She may not have paid much attention to her son, nor could she love him like a mother should, but deep down, she did care for him just a little.

"Nick….get…get out of here now. You do not need to see this. Get somewhere safe. Get out"! She said in a voice so low it was almost a whisper.

"No! I want him to stay. I want him to see what happens to cheating whores"!

Nick was conflicted, and most of all, he was terrified. He had no idea what to do. While he was thinking, his father turned and pointed the gun at Nick.

"Or perhaps the whore would like to see what happens to her precious little boy"?

What happened next happened in a blur. Nick's mother, in a sudden surge of strength, kicked out her leg to try and trip up her husband. As a result, he screamed out in pain as she kicked him, turned, and fired right into her head. She was dead instantly.

His decision made, Nick ran as fast as he could out the front door, not knowing or even caring if his father came after him.

Two hours later, the police found him hiding in some bushes four blocks away. Still dressed in his pajamas and clutching his stuffed bear for all it was worth. They kindly coaxed him out and bundled him in a blanket in the back of one of their cars, making Nick wonder if he was in trouble for running away from home. It was not until much later that he found out that his father had been shot to death by the police as he ran from them, and pointed the gun at them. Nick Russell was now an orphan

It was four years later and Nick was still on his own. The only thing that had really changed was that he still had no parents and his address was constantly changing as well. This was his third group home in four years and did not think he would be here long either. For some reason he did not know, he was constantly shuffled from one home to the next. After what happened to him that night, he had a very hard time talking to anyone, and as a result, he was not accepted well by the other kids. He was called a freak, a loser, and a host of other things. He was not happy at all.

He did act out though. He knew of no other way to get attention. Coming from where he did, it was all he knew. He had been talked to by several adults along the way, but none of them had really seemed like they wanted to help, and he resented them for even trying.

Yes, he did have a bit of an attitude. The adults called it a "defense mechanism" whatever that meant. All Nick knew is that he was scared and wanted to go home, wherever that was. He had no idea anymore and no concept of it anyway.

Currently, he was standing alone in the playground of the home. It was barely a playground as this particular home did not have much money, so could only afford the bare essentials for a play area. A rusty swing set, a small set of monkey bars, and a tired looking tetherball set was pretty much it. He had just completed school for the day and was wasting time on the playground for lack of anything better to do. He did have some light chores to do, but was trying to put them off as long as he could.

He was just about to head into the home to get started on those chores when Jeff Simpson and his crew started heading his way. Jeff was the resident bully and he and his cronies made it their business to terrorize any kid at the home that they deemed beneath them, which was most of them. Nick unfortunately was a favorite target of theirs. They soon came to where he was and surrounded him so that there was no escape.

"Hey Nicky. I thought I told you that you were not allowed to come out here again".

Nick did not respond. He had learned that the best thing that he could do in these situations was to be quite and do nothing. Most of the time, it did not work, but it was all he had.

"Hey stupid I'm talking to you. Can't you speak you dummy?"

Nick still said nothing, his head down and his eyes downcast. He hated this feeling of being helpless, but it was all he knew. Then the taunts begain.

"Weirdo! No one wants you! What's wrong Nicky? Are you gonna cry? Just leave Nicky, no one here wants you either".

This was a favorite of that gang. Nick often wondered if they realized that they too were orphans and hand no one. Otherwise they would not be at the home. The taunts continued and Nick still had no way of escaping. He clapped his hands over his ears to try and shut them out, but it did not work.

"Stop! Stop it"!

This did nothing but to spur them on more. Jeff even came up to him and punched him in the stomach. He crumbled to the ground and tried to stop the tears from coming, with little success. His eyes shut he waited for it to all be over.

"_Stay strong little warrior. It will all be over soon. You will be happy. That I can promise you"._

The voice seemed to come from inside of him, though he had no idea where it came from. So he did the only thing he could think of. He asked the voice who it was, feeling silly for doing so.

"_Who…who are you"?_

As soon as he asked the question, a red phoenix appeared in his mind. It was beautiful to see and looking as though it knew the answers to everything, which Nick reckoned that he probably did.

"_I have no name young warrior. Though be assured that I am here inside you, and I will never guide you wrong. I will not show myself again, but that voice of wisdom inside your head will be mine. You will do good to listen. Listen now to one more thing. It will not make sense now, but it will in time. Head this name….Carter"._

With those words, the phoenix faded from sight and Nick opened his eyes. Apparently his attackers had grown tired of him just lying there and had gone off in search of more prey. Nick recovered fast, but he would not soon forget the events of that day, and would always remember that name.

Five years later, and Nick was in yet another group home. He had grown tougher in the past few years, and as a result, a lot more cynical. He still yearned for that family, but he was really starting to give up hope on it. To him, family was a concept that did not exist, and love was the same way. He still got into trouble on occasion, but after the events on the playground, he never did anything to hurt anyone else. He had changed a bit that day, and found himself with a humane streak. He did try to spend as little time as possible around the home, only going there when he had to, and sometimes not even then. They had just gotten a new director, and while Nick liked Mr. Park alright, he still had a slight distain for anyone in authority.

He had taken to hanging around the local fire station. He could not explain it, but he was somehow drawn to the place, like he was meant to be there. The firefighters there took him in with no question. It was like he was one of them from day one. They accepted him and made him feel like an adult instead of an annoying kid. He appreciated that and started to think that perhaps he could be one of them one day.

It was one day, late in the summer when he happened to come across one of them about to wash one of the trucks. Nick did not recognize this firefighter, so he must be new. He wanted to make a good first impression, so he went in and made himself know.

"Whatcha doing there?"

The man jumped as Nick had surprised him a little.

"Oh nothing to exciting I'm afraid…Ladder 34 here just needs a little checkup and a wash. I was just about to get started on the wash when you came up behind me."

He spoke with a friendly tone, and Nick immediately liked him for some reason. When he said that Nick could help, Nick's day was made. He introduced himself and shook his hand, asking his name.

"Oh sorry, where are my manners? My name is Carter Grayson, but you can call me Carter if you want".

Nick almost dropped his sponge. The voice of the red phoenix came back to him.

"_Head this name….Carter". _

Now he knew why he liked this man. Things were about to get real interesting.

Hours later and Nick felt what felt like happiness for the first time in his young life. He had been invited to have dinner at Carter's home along with his pretty young wife Dana. When had met Dana, Nick could have sworn he heard what sounded like a phoenix cry in his head. Yes, this was a good thing. He had a nice dinner and an even better conversation with the couple, and as he fell asleep in his bed at the home that night, he could not help but wonder if that was how his parents were supposed to act.

Weeks later and things were only getting better for Nick. Carter and Dana had taken him into their home, and it looked like it may be for good. They had talked to Nick privately and asked him if he would like them to formally and legally make him a part of their family. There was that word again, family. He had given up on ever having one, but something about these two made him hope again. He gave it some thought, and agreed that he would indeed like to be a part of their family, even after Carter told him that he would have Grayson for a last name instead of Russell. To Nick it was just a formality. He really didn't care about the Russell name anyway.

School was about to start, and Nick was less than thrilled, as most kids his age were. He was a bit apprehensive about going to a new school as he had never been good at making friends, but all of that changed one day when a pretty little raven haired girl showed up on his doorstep.

"_Hi, my name is Madison, but you can call me Maddie."_

That day marked another turning point in Nick's life. He did not know it then, but that little girl, and to a lesser extent, her sister and two friends would change his life forever.

The night that he met her, he had the strangest dream he had ever had, and did not understand it at all. In it, he saw his phoenix soaring through the air, so happy and so free. He figured that this represented him now, as happy and content that he was, but the next part of the dream totally confused him. The phoenix landed on a small rock that protruded out of a large expanse of some unknown sea. It stood there for a moment, as if it was waiting for something or someone. The next thing he knew, a mermaid poked her head out of the sea right next to where the phoenix was standing and waiting. The mermaid had a bluish tint to her and long, silky black hair. She looked familiar, but Nick could not place her. The phoenix simply lowered its head and placed it gently on the mermaid's shoulder, and it was here that the dream ended, leaving one very confused pre-teen boy.

He talked to Carter about all of this, and his new father gave him some excellent advice on the subject, though he was still confused, but he supposed this was normal and tried not to let it bother him too much.

Nick was in a good mood. He had four awesome friends, he finally had a mom and dad that did not want to kill each other and who really loved him, he was going to have a little sister any day now, AND he was going to have a birthday party tomorrow. Yes, life was indeed good. He had come home that day before the party planning on going over to the park with Madison and Xander later and had gone into the living room to ask his mother's permission when he saw a sight that he would never forget. His mother was lying on the floor, obviously in pain in a pool of what looked like water, though he had a feeling that it was not.

"Nick, you have to help me please. Olivia is coming and she is coming fast. I need you to call 911 and then your father. I can't move right now."

Nick did as he was told and did what he could to make his mother comfortable until help arrived. He sighed with relief when the paramedics arrived along with his father and aunt and uncle. Things were going to get even better now.

Four hours later, Nick was sitting in the waiting room well…waiting when a smiling Carter came through the door and motioned for Nick to come over.

"Nick, there is someone that really wants to meet you."

Without hesitation, Nick got up and followed his father into the room where his mother and sister waited. When he arrived, he saw his mother looking rather tired, holding a pink bundle in her arms. Without being told what to do, he gently climbed onto the bed and looked at his sister Olivia for the first time.

It was right then, that Nick Grayson finally knew what love really was. He looked into the eyes of his sister and knew without a doubt that he would do anything in the world for that girl and would protect her against anything.

"_Hello. You must be my brother Nick. I am so glad to meet you. I am sure that we will get along just fine". _

Nick just nodded. Olivia's voice had sounded in his head, but he knew it was her. He simply nodded at her.

"_Yes, I think that we will dear sister. You have no idea just how long I have been waiting for you"._

Two nights later, and Nick was in shock. Just a few hours before, he had not only been kissed for the first time, but had asked Madison to be his girlfriend. He had not known how exactly, but it had seemed like the best thing to do, and the best part was, he knew without a doubt that it was going to be a long time, if ever before they were not a couple. He lay in his bed and gave it some thought. He reviewed his life thus far. He had a hellish childhood, but in the past few months or so, his parents, among select others, had shown him what love truly was. His sister helped as well and now Madison was showing him a different kind of love. Right before he went to sleep, he had a vision of his phoenix, along with the mermaid, a bull like creature, something that looked like a fairy, and well, he did not know what the figure in yellow was. Figuring he had time to figure it out later, he drifted off to sleep.

Power Rangers? Of course Nick knew that they existed, he had seen pictures and had been told stories of their battles by his family, but after he had accidently found an actual morpher in his parent's bedroom, he had passed out in shock. His mother had found him first, and after first ascertaining that he was alright physically, she had chewed him out for snooping around in the first place. He had tried to ask her about the morpher, but she deflected all of his questions, saying that his father would talk to him about it later. When Carter did come home, he first punished Nick, though lightly for the snooping, and then over the next hour or so, told him in detail about how he and his mother, along with his uncles Joel, Chad, and Ryan an aunt Kelsey served as the lightspeed rangers. If it was at all possible, Nick was even more in awe of his new family.

The past six years had flown by for Nick. Three years ago he had taken up the family mantle of becoming a ranger though he was initially reluctant to do so. It was then that the phoenix, along with the mermaid and the other mystical creatures finally made sense. It should have come to no surprise to him that the phoenix was his and the mermaid associated herself with Madison. It brought to mind something that he overheard his parents talking about. Something about earlier rangers having spirit animals and that the greatest ranger ever; Tommy Oliver had the falcon as his animal guide and his wife Kimberly had the crane as hers. Something about how the falcon and crane were always meant to be together, though Dana often commented that it took them long enough. Nick thought that a phoenix and a mermaid made an odd couple, but who was he to argue with fate?

All he knew now is that he had almost everything in his life. He had just been accepted into the fire academy and had just signed the mortgage on a nice little two bedroom house right down the street from his parents. They had to cosign since he had very little credit, but they had done so without question. He loved his sister and spent as much time with the six year old as he could. There was just one more thing he thought that he needed to make his life even better.

He stared into the dark brown eyes of the lovely young woman seated across from him and knew that he would never love another woman as much as he loved Madison Rocca. They had been through so much together, and he knew without a doubt that they could make it through anything. Ever since she had showed up on his doorstep almost eight years ago, his life had been nothing but good. All that remained now was to make it official. He stood and made his way to her side of the table, before kneeling on one knee in front of her, producing a modest but lovely diamond ring.

There was no doubt in her voice as she tearfully accepted his proposal.

Forty five years later:

Sixty four year old Nick was in mourning. Four days previously, at the age of eighty, his father, Carter Grayson had died peacefully in his sleep; finally joining his wife who had gone the year previously.

Now as he stood on the side of the casket, flanked by Madison and their two daughters and son, along with their kids, he could not help but cry. Today he was burying the only man he would call father; the man that took him in when no one else would, and showed him what love and family truly were.

The funeral ended and everyone made their way back to their cars, Nick held back for just a moment. Madison gave his shoulder a squeeze of support and left as well. She knew her husband well, and knew that he needed some extra time to say goodbye. Nick looked down at the casket that held the body of the man that he loved so very much. It would soon be lowered into the earth to rest for eternity next to the body of his beloved wife Dana.

"I know that you knew that I loved you Dad, I told you that enough that's for sure. You were not only my father, but my friend, my confidant, and my mentor. I told you when my son was born that if I could be half the man that you were that I would consider my life a success. Guess what? That mission has been accomplished. Thank you for everything that you have given me, and more importantly, have shown me. I love you Dad, and I will never forget you".

With that, Nick turned, tears still in his eyes and made his way back to his family.

**Okay, so what did you all think of that. I just had this nagging feeling that Nick's story still had some parts to be told, so I told them. I hope that you enjoyed this one shot and please, review for me. I love seeing them!**


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